There are few people out there that can really spellbind me with their writing, but I believe Adam Young is one of these selected few. Whenever I read his blog posts I am nothing short of mesmerized. His way of describing his emotions and happenings in his life is nothing short of immaculate. (With the odd typo here and there, however, but with that skill of writing, who cares?!) Reading his posts is almost like diving into his mind and exploring the gorgeous things that are going on inside of it - and what a beautiful mind it is (excuse the movie reference; that was not intended).
He a devout Christian, but this reason for me adoring his writing is far outweighed by his beautifully described musings. He has the ability reserved only a few to not touch on a subject and barely scratch the emotional surface of it, but rather to touch on a subject and hold on to the emotion, the episode, the image, for a much longer time than many others. When you think that all words have been used and the topic has been exhausted, you're suddenly served another platter of delightful collocations, metaphors and other imagery.
This is one of those blogs wherein you're left with a fuzzy feeling in your stomach and a sense of serenity whenever you're done reading one of his posts; especially after having read one of his more profound gems. (Because that's exactly what they are - gems.) It is always so intriguingly satisfying to experience the unfurling of the story he writes about in your head. As if it were a bud slowly opening up and becoming a beautiful flower which you cannot see before you've read the entire post. Color me overly poetic if thou wishest, but I'm truly fascinated by his writing skills. It's almost as if I wish he were to write a novel of some sorts to get all of this indescribably beautiful writing on paper and stuck between two covers.
How refreshingly reassuring it is that there are people like him out there. Guess this indicates that there is, in fact, hope for this poor wretched world of ours. That there is a light - however faint - at the end of the all-too-known tunnel.
Signing off (mesmerized),
Elise
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Saturday, November 06, 2010
Procrastination
Think I've used that word as a title for a previous blog entry, although I'm not quite that sure. I might be relating this to something else rather than just a mere post.
Things are ok. Gotten good results for 2/3 mandatory assignments. Now trying to write up the final assignment, i.e. the description of my Master's thesis project. But I just can't be bothered at the moment. I've already done some research into articles and studies I can refer to and read up a little on them, but theenergy level willingness to do anything just isn't there. In other words, once again I experience the well-known urge to procrastinate.
I'm sure you all know that "procrastination is the enemy of time" (or at least I think that's what my mom usually says), but in a sense there's something quite nice about focusing on something else rather than just your academic passion(s). Just like today, which I intend to make into a "sewing day" wherein I'll be folding pajama pants and... eh... something else. I must admit that this kind of fits with the whole housewife concept of the 50s and 60s. All I need is just a polka-dot dress, an apron, cat-eye glasses and red lipstick, and I'm there. :) And to be honest, at the moment I don't mind either!
Lately I've been totally immersed in this period (post-Baseballs concert syndrome, a.k.a. PBC syndrome). Not only did this period involve the reconstruction of the gut-wrenchingly immense damages after WWII, but everybody just seemed to have such a happy-go-lucky attitude to life, perhaps to make amends for the bleak war years. And then at the end of the 1960s the world lost its innocence; or should I say that that the youth lost its innocence. We were finally forced to see the world as it is and we were completely disgusted by what we saw. Again. But this time it was not caused by a deranged madman as had happened just 20 years prior to this time. It was caused by a supposedly helpful, generous, good and decent world power.* And perhaps as a consequence of this (including several other factors, obv.), the youth had a fervent need to escape from their lives. Enter hallucinogenic drugs, psychedelia and Oriental religions to find something to cling to in the midst of all the pessimism and disappointment of life.
Looking at footage from the infamous Woodstock music festival of '69 I find I laugh out loud when I hear their opinions on several issues. The naiveté of people back in those days is nothing short of risible. They seem so lost; damsels in distress - even the guys. If they really were fitting representatives of the youth culture back in those days, let's just say that the evolution from that until how we are today is nothing short of impressive (and fortunate, to say the least).
Anyway, these are just random thoughts not to be taken seriously (that is, if the reader may be offended of these general musings). Now, to ramble off to watch James Bond... One of those classic ones... :)
Signing off (sashaying over to telly),
Elise
------------------------------------
*Mind you, I do not adhere to those people who generally despise the US. Sure, the whole issue with the US monitoring/supervising areas outside their embassies in Norway, Denmark and Sweden is extremely frowned upon. At the moment, at least, media focus has been on this, which in turn has generated a general sense of disdain. However, if we look at the more general picture, if it hadn't been for their intervention in several global conflicts fewer of them would have been resolved. Color me naive if you wish, but if you have the means to help others, by all means do so - but an elaboration on this will be reserved for a future post.
Things are ok. Gotten good results for 2/3 mandatory assignments. Now trying to write up the final assignment, i.e. the description of my Master's thesis project. But I just can't be bothered at the moment. I've already done some research into articles and studies I can refer to and read up a little on them, but the
I'm sure you all know that "procrastination is the enemy of time" (or at least I think that's what my mom usually says), but in a sense there's something quite nice about focusing on something else rather than just your academic passion(s). Just like today, which I intend to make into a "sewing day" wherein I'll be folding pajama pants and... eh... something else. I must admit that this kind of fits with the whole housewife concept of the 50s and 60s. All I need is just a polka-dot dress, an apron, cat-eye glasses and red lipstick, and I'm there. :) And to be honest, at the moment I don't mind either!
Lately I've been totally immersed in this period (post-Baseballs concert syndrome, a.k.a. PBC syndrome). Not only did this period involve the reconstruction of the gut-wrenchingly immense damages after WWII, but everybody just seemed to have such a happy-go-lucky attitude to life, perhaps to make amends for the bleak war years. And then at the end of the 1960s the world lost its innocence; or should I say that that the youth lost its innocence. We were finally forced to see the world as it is and we were completely disgusted by what we saw. Again. But this time it was not caused by a deranged madman as had happened just 20 years prior to this time. It was caused by a supposedly helpful, generous, good and decent world power.* And perhaps as a consequence of this (including several other factors, obv.), the youth had a fervent need to escape from their lives. Enter hallucinogenic drugs, psychedelia and Oriental religions to find something to cling to in the midst of all the pessimism and disappointment of life.
Looking at footage from the infamous Woodstock music festival of '69 I find I laugh out loud when I hear their opinions on several issues. The naiveté of people back in those days is nothing short of risible. They seem so lost; damsels in distress - even the guys. If they really were fitting representatives of the youth culture back in those days, let's just say that the evolution from that until how we are today is nothing short of impressive (and fortunate, to say the least).
Anyway, these are just random thoughts not to be taken seriously (that is, if the reader may be offended of these general musings). Now, to ramble off to watch James Bond... One of those classic ones... :)
Signing off (sashaying over to telly),
Elise
------------------------------------
*Mind you, I do not adhere to those people who generally despise the US. Sure, the whole issue with the US monitoring/supervising areas outside their embassies in Norway, Denmark and Sweden is extremely frowned upon. At the moment, at least, media focus has been on this, which in turn has generated a general sense of disdain. However, if we look at the more general picture, if it hadn't been for their intervention in several global conflicts fewer of them would have been resolved. Color me naive if you wish, but if you have the means to help others, by all means do so - but an elaboration on this will be reserved for a future post.
Monday, November 01, 2010
*awkward silence*
Men are confusing. I'm sure they think the same way about us, though.
A couple of months ago the electricity was all out in our building and I'd ventured out in the hallway, as I heard some other people talking there. I talked to one of my neighbors there and we sort of had the same interests and shared the same kind of randomness. He was interested in watching "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", so I lent him my DVD. He also asked me if he could come over some day for a cup of tea or something, so I said "Yeah, sure" and left it at that. This was in September. Now it's November and I've only just now gotten back my DVD and still no sign of that coffee or tea thing. You who know me reasonably well, know that I am an old-fashioned gal. In other words, I strongly believe that the guy should make the first move instead of me, be it in terms of a friendship - as was this case - or something "more substantial", if you will. Not a peep from his part for over 2 months. I even went as far as to ring his doorbell several times (when I hadn't gotten my DVD back). He himself had asked me to do so, but there was no answer whatsoever. I even left plucked up the courage to stick a post-it note yesterday on his front door to ask him if there was supposed to be any get-together. The note's still hanging there and I haven't heard a peep from him. As in so many times before, there appears to be this infamous awkwardness hovering between our front doors when it comes to getting in touch with each other.
This is something totally beyond me. The few times we'd talked together, he himself expressed the ridiculousness of not getting in touch, as we only live 5 steps from each other. Yet he still doesn't get in touch, at least as far as I know. So my question is: Why does it have to be so difficult to converse with members of the other sex? Why should it be so difficult to initiate a strictly platonic friendship with a guy? Why is there such an insane amount of awkwardness in this process? Is there anything that can be done at all to prevent or remove any kind of tension? Again, why is this process so difficult?! I mean, I can talk to them and strike up some excellent conversations - there's no problem in that department - but ultimately it seems as if there's always this kind of strange cloddishness in the air between us. And that's what bugs the living daylights out of me.
Furthermore, if he didn't mean what he'd said or if he'd changed his mind during these past few months, it would be nice to actually be informed about this instead of leaving it all hanging out there like a dangling participle. If he doesn't want a friendship, that's entirely fine by me, but I'd appreciate being informed instead of just sitting there wondering if it was something I'd said. Heck, I stuck a freakin' post-it note to his door. If he doesn't want to knock on my door and tell it to me straight, he could at least have had the decency to respond through another post-it note. Just saying. Bah.
Signing off (inelegantly),
Elise
(Edit: He answered my post-it note and showed up.)
A couple of months ago the electricity was all out in our building and I'd ventured out in the hallway, as I heard some other people talking there. I talked to one of my neighbors there and we sort of had the same interests and shared the same kind of randomness. He was interested in watching "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", so I lent him my DVD. He also asked me if he could come over some day for a cup of tea or something, so I said "Yeah, sure" and left it at that. This was in September. Now it's November and I've only just now gotten back my DVD and still no sign of that coffee or tea thing. You who know me reasonably well, know that I am an old-fashioned gal. In other words, I strongly believe that the guy should make the first move instead of me, be it in terms of a friendship - as was this case - or something "more substantial", if you will. Not a peep from his part for over 2 months. I even went as far as to ring his doorbell several times (when I hadn't gotten my DVD back). He himself had asked me to do so, but there was no answer whatsoever. I even left plucked up the courage to stick a post-it note yesterday on his front door to ask him if there was supposed to be any get-together. The note's still hanging there and I haven't heard a peep from him. As in so many times before, there appears to be this infamous awkwardness hovering between our front doors when it comes to getting in touch with each other.
This is something totally beyond me. The few times we'd talked together, he himself expressed the ridiculousness of not getting in touch, as we only live 5 steps from each other. Yet he still doesn't get in touch, at least as far as I know. So my question is: Why does it have to be so difficult to converse with members of the other sex? Why should it be so difficult to initiate a strictly platonic friendship with a guy? Why is there such an insane amount of awkwardness in this process? Is there anything that can be done at all to prevent or remove any kind of tension? Again, why is this process so difficult?! I mean, I can talk to them and strike up some excellent conversations - there's no problem in that department - but ultimately it seems as if there's always this kind of strange cloddishness in the air between us. And that's what bugs the living daylights out of me.
Furthermore, if he didn't mean what he'd said or if he'd changed his mind during these past few months, it would be nice to actually be informed about this instead of leaving it all hanging out there like a dangling participle. If he doesn't want a friendship, that's entirely fine by me, but I'd appreciate being informed instead of just sitting there wondering if it was something I'd said. Heck, I stuck a freakin' post-it note to his door. If he doesn't want to knock on my door and tell it to me straight, he could at least have had the decency to respond through another post-it note. Just saying. Bah.
Signing off (inelegantly),
Elise
(Edit: He answered my post-it note and showed up.)
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